Prompts to write better emails
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Good email is respect for the reader's time, made visible. The four templates below encode that: a rewrite pass that halves length while sharpening the ask, a structure for messages you dread sending, follow-ups that escalate politely, and a batch mode for the inbox pile.
One rule across all four: the ask goes first, the context after — readers decide in the first two lines whether to act, and most emails bury the decision.
The four templates
Your draft says everything and lands nothing. Cut it to what the reader needs to act.
Rewrite my email draft. Recipient: [WHO + RELATIONSHIP]. What I need from them: [THE ONE CONCRETE THING + DEADLINE]. Rules: max [100] words; the ask in the first two lines, phrased so 'yes' is easy (one question, one option set, or one link); context after the ask, only what's needed to say yes; one white-space break minimum; subject line that contains the ask (["BUDGET OK BY FRI?"-STYLE]); delete: apologies for emailing, "just", "quick question", every second softener — keep exactly one politeness marker. Then: one line on what you cut and why, so I learn the pattern. Draft: [PASTE]
Saying no, flagging a problem, renegotiating a deadline — the message you've rewritten four times.
Help me write a difficult email. Situation: [WHAT HAPPENED / WHAT MUST CHANGE]. Recipient: [WHO, STAKES, HISTORY]. What I want after they read it: [CONCRETE OUTCOME]. What I must NOT lose: [RELATIONSHIP / CREDIBILITY / THE DEADLINE]. First ask me up to 3 questions if the situation has gaps. Then write it: the point within the first three sentences (no weather paragraph); facts with dates, no accusations — describe actions, not character; my contribution acknowledged if true: [IS IT?]; the path forward as a proposal with one concrete next step; max 150 words. Then: the 3 sentences I should NOT include even though I want to — and why.
No answer after one week. You need reminders 2 and 3 written before resentment writes them.
Write a follow-up sequence for this unanswered email:
[PASTE ORIGINAL]
Recipient: [WHO, POWER RELATION]. Deadline reality: [WHEN IT'S ACTUALLY DUE + WHAT HAPPENS IF MISSED].
Deliver 3 messages:
- Follow-up 1 (day [X]): shorter than the original, assumes it drowned, re-asks with the easiest possible yes.
- Follow-up 2 (day [Y]): adds the consequence as neutral fact (date, dependency), offers an alternative ("if [OTHER PERSON] is better placed, happy to redirect").
- Follow-up 3 (day [Z]): the last one — states what I'll do by default if I don't hear back by [DATE], respectfully.
All three: max 70 words, no guilt ("as per my last email" banned), each forwardable without embarrassment.
Fourteen replies owed, ninety minutes of writing — or one structured prompt and fourteen reviews.
Draft replies for the emails below. My register: [2 ADJECTIVES, DU/SIE OR FIRST-NAME BASIS, SIGN-OFF]. Here's one reply of mine that sounds right: [PASTE ONE GOOD EXAMPLE] Per email, I give you: sender context + my decision/answer in shorthand. You write: a reply in my register, max 80 words, ask-or-answer first. Where my shorthand doesn't decide something, insert [DECIDE: …] instead of choosing for me. 1) [FROM: … | CONTEXT: … | MY ANSWER: e.g. "yes but only after the 15th, propose call"] 2) [FROM: … | …] …
Frequently asked questions
Won't AI-written emails sound impersonal?
Unstyled ones do. The templates counter it with your register (two adjectives + one real example of your writing) and by keeping decisions in your shorthand. What the AI removes is padding, not personality — most drafts get MORE distinct when the filler goes.
What's the ideal email length?
As short as the decision allows: most asks fit in 50–120 words. The research-backed part isn't a magic number — it's ask-first structure and single-question focus, which the templates enforce. Long emails are fine when they're documents; then send a document.
Should I tell recipients AI helped write my email?
For routine business mail, no more than you'd disclose spell-check — you decided the content. For sensitive personal messages (condolences, apologies, references), either write it yourself or edit until it's genuinely yours; the difficult-email template is built as a thinking aid, not a ghostwriter.
How do I stop writing long emails in the first place?
Use the rewrite template's what-I-cut line for two weeks — the pattern (ask first, one question, cut softeners) installs itself. After that you'll draft short and only batch-process the pile on heavy days.